KARACHI: Police resorted to baton-charge when dozens of workers sacked from their federal government organisations made an attempt to march towards the Supreme Court building on main M. R. Kayani Road, but faced forceful resistance from the law enforcement agency.

Though the leaders of the sacked workers alleged that the police rounded up their dozens of colleagues, the authorities denied the claims and said that all those who were picked up were released within less than an hour.

The police force turned vigilant when the protesters gathered under the banner of the All Pakistan Sacked Employees Central Joint Action Committee (JAC) moved from the Karachi Press Club to the Supreme Court registry.

After failing to stop the angry protesters, the law-enforcement agency intercepted them on the main Sarwar Shaheed Road by force. But the police denied that their actions caused any injury to any of the protesters.

“We moved only after realising that the prolonged demonstration was affecting the traffic movement and attracting heavy deployment of police that were already engaged with the security arrangements in the South district due to different reasons,” said an official.

A statement later issued by the JAC said that the sacked workers from 72 different federal institutions were there only to register a peaceful protest, but the police used force and left several demonstrators injured.

It said the committee would soon announce its strategy to hold protest demonstrations in all urban centres of the country.

“The Constitution allows peaceful protests and it was against the spirit of the law of the land that those people, who are already facing hardship due to unemployment, were made the target of police brutality and injustice,” it added.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2021